Generally, the following means are known as providing a method of photographing a subject and recording the subject as a color image on a recording medium such as a recording paper.
The means most common on the current market comprises loading a camera with a silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material for photographing such as a color negative film, performing optical image information exposure (formation of latent image) and subjecting the silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material after exposure (after formation of latent image) to color development processing to thereby obtain an image. When a color negative film is used, the thus obtained negative image is directly subjected to surface exposure on a silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material for appreciation such as a color paper, or alternatively first optically read to obtain image information and then effecting exposure on a color paper on the basis of obtained image information. Thereafter, development processing is carried out to thereby obtain a color image of the subject.
In recent years, systems not requiring any development processing, such as a digital camera, have been developed. In rivalry therewith, it is desired to minimize the processing time for silver halide lightsensitive material.
Further, increased attention is being drawn to the problem of deterioration of global environment. In this respect, it is of importance to reduce the volume of wet processing solutions used.
Therefore, what is to be attained by the silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material for photographing resides in:
(1) shortening of the time to finish, and
(2) reduction of the replenishment rate with respect to processing solutions, leading to reduction of not only maintenance but also waste solutions.
With respect to the item (1) above, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. (hereinafter referred to as JP-A-) 7-181649 is known as providing a lightsensitive material suitable for realization of rapid processing. However, the effect thereof is unsatisfactory when the current processing is performed.
The above means fail to shorten the time spent in drying step subsequent to development processing. Consequently, for attaining a substantial processing speed increase, further improvement has been demanded.
With respect to the item (2) above, all the steps, except the development processing step in which a lightsensitive material is first processed, suffer a dilution attributed to solution carry-over from the previous bath. This has occasionally caused lowering of the replenishment rate to be infeasible.
Various methods for lowering the replenishment rate have been disclosed. For example, JP-A-8-227134 describes the reduction of solution carry-over from previous bath by improvement to squeeze means, which, however, has not always been satisfactory.